A dyed palm frond slips through fingers on a folding table in a yellow-walled workshop, its blue and red strands tangled. The travelers around the instructor struggle with the same knots, their attempts met with laughter and shared frustration. Jair Palma, wearing a long skirt, moves between them, correcting mistakes with a gentle hand. When she reaches one tangled piece, she pockets the imperfect work and replaces it with a flawless ring coiled neatly on their finger.
This is the final day of the AmaMelodia, a new cruise along Colombia’s Magdalena River operated by AmaWaterways. The route connects Cartagena to Barranquilla, a journey that has not carried passengers in 60 years. Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera describes the river’s faded romance in its closing chapters, where a honeymoon voyage symbolizes the decline of river travel and the communities left behind. Now, the low, bargelike vessel drifts past quiet banks, its only companions the occasional sister ship, the AmaMagdalena.
The cruise includes stops like Usiacurí, a town outside Barranquilla where artisans weave iraca palm into bags, baskets, and jewelry. River guides—Eric, Camila, and Mateo, all Colombian—serve as translators and connectors between travelers and locals. Beno Atan, AmaWaterways’ managing director for Colombia, spent five years selecting towns for this itinerary. His first visit involved renting a boat, stocking it with beer and sandwiches, and speaking directly with residents.
At Usiacurí’s workshop, stalls line the sunlit courtyard, selling handmade goods: fans for the heat, dangling earrings in navy and orange, and a box bag with a crimson strap. The artisans dye palm fronds by boiling them in water, adding pigments until the desired shade appears, then rinsing and drying them. Baskets take shape over wire frames, one traveler purchases a chicken-shaped basket, its askew wings serving as a lid.
Reviving lost river stops with new docks
AmaWaterways’ approach allows travelers direct access to artisans, including those in Mompox, a UNESCO-listed town. There, workshops preserve Colombian filigree, twisting silver and gold threads into delicate formations. Nearby, fishermen cast enormous nets in synchronized motion, their movements resembling a coordinated dance. The cruise required building a new docking bridge to reach Mompox, though some towns remain inaccessible.
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El Banco, known as Colombia’s cumbia capital, was originally planned as a stop but removed due to the river’s sharp bends. Instead, the itinerary includes Santa Bárbara de Pinto, a fishing village where AmaWaterways constructed another dock. Atan spent time here, helping artisans adjust prices for cruise visitors. A vendor initially proposed selling eight hand-rolled cigarettes for $5 in bulk, but after negotiation, offered them individually. Nearby, a man demonstrates a rainbow fishing net woven from palm fibers, its lively patterns rippling as he casts it into the water.
Generational palm weaving along Colombia’s banks
In Santa Bárbara de Pinto, artisans extend their craft beyond fishing nets. Along the riverbank, women weave palm-fiber hammocks using a backstrap loom, a method passed down through generations. The process begins with splitting palm leaves into thin strips, then dyeing them in natural pigments, indigo for deep blues, achiote for golds. One artisan shows how the strips are twisted into cords before being laced into a hammock frame. The finished product sways gently between two trees, its patterns echoing the river’s currents.
In Mompox, filigree workshops operate under mango trees, where silver and gold threads are heated until pliable. A craftsman uses tongs to twist the molten metal into delicate spirals, then fuses the ends with a torch. The result is jewelry or decorative plates, their detailed latticework catching the light. Nearby, children gather around a table where an elder demonstrates the technique, their small hands mimicking the adults’ precision. The workshop walls display finished pieces, bracelets, earrings, and small boxes, each bearing Mompox’s signature filigree style.
On the AmaMelodia, the crew prepares for the final evening aboard. The ship’s kitchen serves a meal featuring ingredients from nearby villages: mojarra fish grilled with lime and cilantro, fried plantains, and a soup made from yuca and coconut milk. The dining room is adorned with iraca palm centerpieces, small woven rings and bracelets placed on each table. One traveler speaks with the chef, who explains the fish was caught that morning by local fishermen in Santa Bárbara de Pinto.
